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Trump confirms plans to meet with Putin during his Asian tour

Trump confirms plans to meet with Putin during his Asian tour

Janice Sanchez | November 6, 2017, 0:07

Trump confirms plans to meet with Putin during his Asian tour

Mr Trump has ramped up his tough rhetoric against North Korea after arriving in Japan for a 12-day trip - the longest Asian tour by a U.S. leader since George HW Bush in 1992.

Trump also described his relationship with the Japanese leader, with whom he played golf earlier in the day, as "really extraordinary".

Ballistic missile tests by North Korea and its sixth and largest nuclear test, in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, have exacerbated the most critical worldwide challenge of Mr. Trump's presidency.

Recent drills over South Korea by two U.S. strategic bombers have further heightened tensions.

Trump's remarks were lauded by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has expressed anxiety at hermit kingdom's aggression in the region. The two men also met on the sidelines of an global summit in Italy this spring and Trump hosted Abe in Florida.

Mr. Trump will also have a state call with the Imperial Family at Akasaka Palace during his visit. "We will relish", he added, referring to this reunion, clubs in hand, before a series of meetings Monday focused on the threat of north Korean nuclear.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has expressed reservations at Trump's eagerness to take on North Korea, saying no aggression should take place on the Korean peninsula without his consent.

His trip got off to a colourful start in Hawaii. He was taken by boat out to the USS Arizona Memorial, where lies the World War Two ship that was sunk by the Japanese during the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.

"I think it's expected that we'll meet with Putin, yes", Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew from Honolulu to Tokyo.

The White House said Trump's trip "will underscore his commitment to longstanding United States alliances and partnerships, and reaffirm United States leadership in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific region".

Though Trump did not mention North Korea by name during the speech, the spectre of its weapons program will loom large throughout Trump's five-nation Asia trip. We'll be enlisting the help of a lot of people and countries and we'll see what happens. "And I don't think we've ever been closer to Japan than we are right now". "There is a lot of good will".

While the timing of a meeting with Putin may force the Russian Federation issue back to the forefront, Trump's aides determined face-to-face talks were essential while the two men were in the same city.

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster indicated Trump will continue with his aggressive tone overseas as well.

The president's first stops are Japan and South Korea - frontline USA allies in the effort to force Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear programme, and the two countries with most to fear should a full-scale conflict break out.

Trade will factor heavily during Trump's trip as he tries to persuade Asian allies to agree to trade policies more favorable to the United States.

Putin is scheduled to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Da Nang, Vietnam, which Trump will also attend as part of his long Asia tour.